# Is "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1979) is identified by: First edition, first printing: FSG statement 'First printing, 1979' on the copyright page (FSG used a printed-statement convention). US FSG 1979 is the true first, preceding the UK Jonathan Cape edition (1980).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing: FSG statement 'First printing, 1979' on the copyright page (FSG used a printed-statement convention)
- Original dust jacket with its printed price, jacket design with the title in the period typography
- No later-printing notations
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tom Wolfe |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing: FSG statement 'First printing, 1979' on the copyright page (FSG used a printed-statement convention) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing: FSG statement 'First printing, 1979' on the copyright page (FSG used a printed-statement convention). Original dust jacket with its printed price, jacket design with the title in the period typography. No later-printing notations.

## Is this the true first?
US FSG 1979 is the true first, preceding the UK Jonathan Cape edition (1980). Signed Wolfe copies are desirable. Basis for the 1983 film, after which printings multiplied.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions lack the 'First printing, 1979' line, have a blind board stamp, are slightly reduced in size, and carry an unpriced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Right Stuff* by Tom Wolfe a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-right-stuff
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.